Weekly Updates
Preschool / Spark Studio (PS) Update
Zoom Calls
The PS Eagles continue to own their daily midday Zoom calls by taking turns to share art and craft activities and storytelling. They have now gotten the hang of Zoom calls and are totally at ease with the new format of gathering and sharing online.
Maths Games
A memory game with an addition element, concrete addition with objects and a challenge to count out 100 items. This week was all about maths concepts. Montessori makes maths fun and concrete – even subtraction can be fun with a little game!
The Weather
What happens when it snows? What does rain look like? What is a thunderstorm? The PS Eagles explored the fascinating concept of the weather by sorting picture cards depicting different kinds of weather into categories and playing other games.
The vocabulary and world knowledge of the PS Eagles were enriched with the challenge of researching into some weather-related tools and their cognitive skills, concentration and eye-hand coordination were trained by matching weather-related pictures to of the same size. They even practised their reading skills by doing a weather word search and played a weather description game.
Home Challenge – Super Shoppers (Week 2)
Peer-Based Buying & CBF Simulations
The PS Eagles tackled purchasing on peer-based websites like Mudah.my and Facebook Marketplace. Going through carefully guided steps, they chose a platform, identified an item that they were interested in, wrote down a list of pertinent questions and followed through with the transaction. Along the way, they picked up the arts of negotiation and mindful querying, and at the end of the transaction, they spent some time reflecting on the experience.
Celebration! Children’s Business Fair!
All the Super Shoppers Challenges have been leading up to this Sunday’s Children’s Business Fair! Now that the PS Eagles are adept at online shopping, they are all ready to shop, shop, shop and support their fellow Eagles in their entrepreneurial efforts.
In this challenge, the PS Eagles clarified their spending budget with their parents (bankers). They then scrolled through the CBF’s Facebook page to earmark what items they might like to buy for themselves, their family and their friends. They could be as generous as they’d like, as long as they stuck within their budget!
Elementary Studio Update
Quest/Project
The ES Eagles have by now complete all 6 islands of their E-ship quest in preparation for this Sunday 14th June’s Children’s Business Fair. The biggest challenge this Sprint was having to complete most of the worksheets and requirements on their own at home, and the Eagles who diligently attended the project Zoom meetings and owned their learning kept up well with the high expectations of the quest. This was a chance for the Eagles to exercise independent learning and self-discipline. Kudos to the ES Eagles who kept high and dry!
At the end of this particular quest, all the Eagles hard work will be showcased in the CBF where they will sell their products to the public. This is exciting because the Eagles will be able to see their planning and execution either earn them a profit or lose money – a very real world reflection of what was done right and what to improve on.
The weekly simulations have prepared the Eagles for the real event, as most of them had never used Facebook before, let alone to sell and purchase with and they are all abuzz to get online with their customers to validate their practice and hard work.
The ES Eagles reflected on having a virtual CBF as opposed to the real thing where they could get face-to-face with their customers and really showcase their wares. Some preferred the online format: “I can chill and do other things while waiting for customers to ask questions,” and others craved the physical presence, “I can really show them my product and show how it is used at the real CBF.”
Creative Thinking Scenario
This will be the last creative thinking scenario for this Sprint, and the Eagles hope that they will continue in the new Sprint as they are so much fun! This week’s scenario was:
Your hat blows off and is now on the other side of some sharp, jagged rocks. How will you use your items to retrieve your hat?
Items: scissors, computer chair, kettle, bed
The Eagles suggested:
Eagle 1: I will use scissors to cut off a bit of the bed and put that bit between the rocks to get it out.
Eagle 2: I would stand on the chair and bed then just grab it.
Eagle 3: I would stand on the bed and use scissors to clip the hat.
Eagle 4: I would take the bed and the computer chair like a game of the floor is lava. I would keep moving the chair till I reach the hat, and try not to touch the rocks.
Eagle 5: I would take the kettle, then I would reach over the rocks, (I’ll be careful), use the place where you pour out the tea and reach it, hook it up and reel it back to me.
Vega’s Farewell
The ES Studio had an online farewell session for Vega, who will be returning to her home country of Denmark. Vega has been with ActonKL for 2 years and her love for life, willingness to be of help and sense of fun will be missed in the Studio. Go forth and conquer the world with your light, Vega!
Middle School Studio Update
Tuesday Morning Launch 10.45AM
The challenge at this Launch was to inspire and connect the MS Eagles. It was also to bid Morris a fond farewell as this is one of the last Launches he would lead before the end of his last Sprint. Before the Zoom session, Morris sent out an email with instructions and a YouTube link of the recent protests in the United States. Among the question prepared were:
Q: If you were one of the bystanders at the George Floyd situation, would you:
a) Film what was happening, to later complain to the police department, or
b) Rush over and try to get the officer’s knee off Floyd’s neck, but in the process probably get arrested and charged yourself?
Q: If you heard a random man on the street saying offensive things about African Americans, would you:
a) Confront the man but risk escalating things to a violent level? or
b) Mind your own business and let him keep saying the offensive things?
Extension to Q2: Would your answer change if it was your elderly grandma who said those offensive things? If you choose to confront her about it, you could risk losing your relationship with her.
Feedback for this session was very positive. Haidan said, “Compared to the other discussion on Racism, this is a real Socratic Discussion, with 2 extreme sides to choose from.” Dhanya said,” The questions are good!”
It was an electrifying session and Mr. Daniel was very impressed by Morris. The timeliness of his Launch, the gravity of each question and how it escalated at each point shows that he is growing more confident in leading Socratic Discussions. This Launch is perhaps one of the best throughout the whole year, given that it was written and led by an MS Hero who volunteered to do it independently (despite the fact that he wasn’t pursing a Socratic Leadership badge). Excellent work, Morris!
MS Studio Virtual Exhibition – Thursday 11th June 2020, 9AM – 4PM
The MS Studio presented a Virtual Exhibition – Think Shark Tank!, where they pitched their Virtual Businesses to potential investors – the public. Their aim was to convince potential investors to invest in their “Website-That-Sells“.
Alongside the Pitches, potential investors were invited to visit the Eagles’ websites and blogs where they showcased how they planned to execute the businesses that they had started up for Sunday 14th June’s Children’s Business Fair and use tools like drip emails to market them.
The MS Eagles were understandably disappointed to see that there were only 11 people who visited their Virtual Exhibition and voted/gave feedback. Haidan said, “We put in our all, but not many turned up to see what we had done.”
Aqeesha mentioned that, “The voting was really biased,’ and Ra’ees commented, “If I could suggest something for next session – to improve on the voting system. Though your child may have one of the best pieces of work on display, you shouldn’t be able to vote for your own child.
Evan and Haidan suggested, “Perhaps get a fixed panel of judges who has no biased opinion but a professional view of the Exhibition.”
Haidan proceeded to draft an email with the following intention, “I would like to reach a consensus with everyone in the hopes of creating a fair, unbiased exhibition in the future.”
What ensued was a healthy debate to share and debate the MS Eagles’ views about a parent’s possible bias towards their own child. The discussion ended with an agreement that perhaps a panel of judges was the way, moving forward, towards the next Exhibition. Thanks to all MS Parents who attended and voted!
Mr. Daniel has personally learned many hard lessons while working at ActonKL, but it is through these hard lesson that we are allowed a chance to muse, “How would I do it, if I had another chance?” The MS Heroes face these challenges and opportunities on a daily basis and it’s a privilege to see them grow through them.
Appreciation to Evan, our Exhibition Manager, who faced challenges that no other MS Eagle at ActonKL has faced before. This is perhaps the first time that any Eagle in ActonKL has taken the role of organising a Virtual Exhibition nearly entirely on their own. Thank you for stepping up, Evan.
Friday Huddle – Farewell to Morris!
As we come the close of Sprint 5, 2019/2020, we also say farewell to MS Hero Morris Toksvig. Morris gave a little speech, “Thank you, everyone, for a good 2 years. You have shared with me amazing experiences. I am so glad I have taken the path and been with you all. I will miss ActonKL.”
His friends all spoke of and to Morris, remembering the good times together and wishing him the best:
Ra’ees, “You and I have always partnered each other. I will miss you, Morris! Safe travels!”
Haidan, “I remember when you said to me, “Nice game.””
Evan, “Thank you for being a good friend!”
Andre, “Morris, I will forever miss you and your ridiculousness. I will not forget all the food you gave me. I will miss you, Morris!”
Dhanya, “Thank you for bringing cuisine on a daily basis. I got to see and learn about what cuisine is.”
The Guides of ActonKL join in to say how much Morris has grown, not only in impressive height – challenging Andre – but also in responsibility, reliability, serving the tribe and being heroic in his journey. Keep on being a pillar of strength for the world, Morris!
See you all at Sunday 14th June’s Children’s Business Fair, ready with your big ‘basket’s and online transfers!
